Hello ,
This is my first post in the forums .
I've been working in the toy industry now for about seven years(action figures to be precise).I 've been toying around(heh-heh) with Animation on and off for the past few years and i am pretty serious about putting a portfolio together.At my current job i've gained quite a bit of knowledge/skill in just about any thing from designing ,fabricating ,sculpting,painting and mold making.
I've been looking for mac based software i could use on my G4.I also have a pretty good digital still camera(olympus c50-50z). I want to know if there was a program that could let me combine stop-motion with traditional 2d animation, like 2d character in a 3d live Set( Roger Rabbit style).I've tryied using Toon Boom(the first program i bought for my computer) for just basic 2d stuff like walking cycles. but i just cant get used to the feel of drawing in the program. I draw faster and looser with just a pencil and paper .Ive also downloaded Framethief But still cant get it to work with my camera.
Any suggestions would be awesome!
Thanks guys.
erik
Chances are, if it's just a plain digital camera (Not an SLR $1000+), that you won't be able to capture directly into the computer, and you'll need to take the pictures in the camera and then upload them. If you want to use Frame Thief (a very cool little program) you'll need a camera that has a direct input to the computer, like a web camera, firewire camera, or SLR Canon Digital (very pricey). I'm pretty sure the Olympus C line won't do it no matter what software you use, it just doesn't have a direct feed to the computer while the CCD is capturing images (even though you can upload images via the cable).
One thing you could do is use Quicktime Pro (only $30), capture your images in sequence with your camera and then load them as an image sequence. You can then output them as a movie file.
After Effects works extremely well on the Mac and would probably be the best way for you to combine your images with live action. It's definitly not cheap but is extremely useful. You could also look into Mac's Motion (?) software. I haven't used it, and it's more for motion graphics, but I've heard good things about it. Final Cut also has some compositing available in it, and you have your editing software right there.
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Hey i use a mac! :) only 17 but i know my way abotu a few thigns lol em . . . the way i animate with my figures / plasticene is obv take hundreads of photos! then . . . if some altering is required or special effects then photo shop + my brothers wacom then . . . a movie making thing called "iMovie" you should have got it free with ure mac when u bought it i think . . . but any way its a fantastic program where u can select how fast u want ure pictures to go u can put music or sound to the characters or wat ever you want if u dont have it its a must buy! this help any ?
Flash runs well on macs. There is Maya for mac (some people say it runs bad on macs others say it runs fine)
uh....photoshop of course
as for drawing, i just downloaded the free trial of Alias Sketchbook Pro on my mac, and i love it. Ill probably buy it in the near future. It is awesome if you have a wacom tablet. It really is like a digital pencil and paper. pretty neat, and the interface is ingenious
"who wouldn't want to make stuff for me? I'm awesome." -Bloo